Two Honduran nationals have been arrested in Buffalo, New York, for illegal re-entry into the United States after deportation. Acting U.S. Attorney Joel L. Violanti announced the arrests of Javier Antonio Cruz, 27, and Junior Eduardo Garcia Castro, 28. Both individuals face charges that carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Rudroff and Andrew J. Henning are handling the case. According to the complaint, on February 18, 2025, North Tonawanda Police Department stopped a vehicle on Niagara Falls Boulevard due to a traffic violation with both defendants as passengers.
A records check revealed that Cruz was convicted in Irving, Texas in 2020 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and had been ordered removed by an immigration judge multiple times before being deported in 2018 and again in 2024. Similarly, Castro has faced multiple charges for driving without a license in Georgia and was also ordered removed several times before being deported from the U.S. in 2018 and twice more in April 2022.
Both men appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and were detained pending further proceedings.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations under Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan's direction and Customs and Border Protection led by Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.
It is important to note that "the fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty."
